Fall CME Conferences for Outdoor-Loving Nurse Practitioners

Are you itching to get outdoors this summer? Last night in the emergency department, I was talking with a fellow nurse practitioner about a vacation she is taking next month. Her trip is a sort of wilderness tour, hitting up Montana, Wyoming, and Canada for hiking, biking, kayaking, and an array of other activities for the outdoor enthusiast. While I do enjoy staying in a luxury hotel, or posting up in a beach cabana, I've been itching to get a taste of nature lately. Her trip got my vacation planning wheels spinning. Could a fall outdoor adventure be in the cards for me?

One perk of life as a nurse practitioner is a stipend for continuing medical education. Always one looking for an excuse to get out of town, I typically spend my stipend on CME conferences in interesting destinations. From the Canary Islands to Las Vegas, I have traveled far and wide in the name of learning. If you're an outdoor-loving nurse practitioner with a continuing education allowance burning a hole in your pocket, check out these conferences for fall (can you believe it's almost here?!).

There's no better time of year to visit the Pacific northwest than late summer/early fall. The weather is warm but not hot, the lakes and rivers a sparkling blue, and in this case, the opportunity to see wildlife plentiful. Conference attendees will say in an alpine lodge nestled on Chilko Lake, flanked by rugged mountains. Excursions include horseback riding, river trips, grizzly viewing, and Orca watching. Presentations at the conference also have a wilderness bent, focusing on topics like altitude illness and environmental heat illness.

This Advanced Wilderness Life Support certification class is chock-full of information relevant to outdoor enthusiasts. Topics such as animal bites and stings, water disinfection, dive medicine, and avalanche medicine, are among those presented. As the packed education schedule doesn't allow much time to visit nearby sights, nurse practitioners attending the conference may want to extend their trip to enjoy all the Grand Canyon has to offer. Just make sure you don't end up needing your newly acquired wilderness medicine skills!

Hosted by the University of California Davis, 'Fingers to Toes: A Comprehensive Review of Primary Care Orthopedics' promises to deliver a robust continuing education experience for nurse practitioners. Not only will attendees learn all things fractures, dislocations, splinting, and casting, there will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy Tahoe's scenery. Sailing, kayaking and wilderness hikes are just a few of the activities available.

Alaska offers the quintessential outdoor experience. From wildlife to mountains, glaciers, and greenery, take in the beauty of the state all while brushing up your dermatology know how. Courses on this cruise are held while at sea, allowing attendees to maximize time taking in the sites at Alaska's ports.

If you're more of a relaxed outdoorsy nurse practitioner, opt for this Bozeman, Montana adventure. Enjoy three days of fly-fishing at the Madison River Lodge along with excellent food, beer, wine, and (of course) 12 hours of continuing medical education. Topics are relevant for hunters, fisherman, and others who may encounter accidents in austere environments.

In contrast to the prior pick, this outdoor continuing education conference caters to the active traveler. Cycling CME promises peddling on open road, great camaraderie, beautiful scenery, food, wine, and education. Didactic content at the conference is focused on exercise, nutrition, and sports medicine, relevant personally to attendees as well as their patients. Rides are supported by a SAG wagon so that cyclists of all levels may enjoy the trip.

Nurse practitioners who enjoy a view of nature, without participation in aggressive outdoor activity, may opt for this continuing education conference. Held at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, this conference allows nurse practitioners to enjoy California wine country in luxury. Swing your clubs at the 18-hole golf course, visit the world renowned spa, or soak in the hotel's swimming pool fed by local hot springs. Course offerings at the conference include all things endocrine, like pituitary disease, thyroid disease, and diabetes management.